“Did the story take a long time? It’s later than I thought.”

“Ah… just a bit… while talking about this and that…”

Upon returning to the room, I could guess that Frecia had come looking for me, as all my other friends had already finished dinner and returned to their rooms. I answered Anne, who approached me with a dazed expression, while recalling the events that had happened earlier.

After finishing the embarrassing mana replenishment, I quickly tidied up, checked my clothes two or three times, and only then returned to my room. Even if friends caught us coming back with Frecia, they wouldn’t suspect anything awkward occurred between us, but just in case, I sent Frecia back first.

As expected, my friends seemed none the wiser. What a relief. I can’t even imagine the kind of looks I would get if they found out what I had done. Of course, they wouldn’t cut ties with me over this, but I knew that their attitude and the distance they kept from me would definitely change.

Today passed without incident, but I must be even more careful not to get caught whenever I periodically replenish my mana with Frecia in the future.

By the way, having to periodically replenish mana with Frecia… Although it’s a little selfish to think this way when Frecia is genuinely trying to solve the problem, I secretly hope she cannot fix the broken contract magic. If that were the case, as long as she doesn’t want to break the contract, I could use mana replenishments as an excuse to kiss her periodically.

The kisses I shared with Frecia were not only sweet and beautiful but also held the thrill of indulging in betrayal since they were secret from my other friends. Yes. I became addicted to kissing Frecia after just one time. The fact that my partner was a lovely girl like Frecia definitely contributed to my current state. Luckily, she didn’t notice, but the feel of her chest, which I had unconsciously laid my hand on, was…

“El? Did something happen? Why do you look so spaced out all of a sudden?”

“Uh, yeah? No, nothing! It was nothing!”

Oh no. I must have lost my composure while recalling what had happened earlier. Quickly, I replied to Anne with a normal expression and stole a glance at Frecia, who was resting after returning first.

While I was desperately trying to manage my expression so my friends wouldn’t find out, Frecia transformed into a cat, hiding her expressions from them. Her tail swayed gently, and she licked her face like a real cat. Yes. That pink tongue had intertwined with mine…

“Hmm? El looks… silly.”

“W-what do you mean silly! I’m just tired, really tired. I shouldn’t dawdle. It’s about time for a wash, so I’ll splash some water on my face and be right back.”

To hear Anne call me silly was annoying. I knew just from not needing to look in a mirror how silly my expression must have been.

Maybe after splashing my face with cold water, some of this mental turmoil will lift? I need to do something, or I might really get caught by my friends.

“I want to join too! I have to wash up anyway. Just like when we went to the bathhouse before!”

Anne brightened up at my words about going to shower and suggested that we go together. Just as she said, back when we were at the Academy, there had been a time when we all went to the bathhouse together. Now I’m a bit numb to the experience, but back then, I lacked immunity to the female form and couldn’t bear to see my friends in the nude out of conscience—of course, I also had the ulterior motive of not wanting to be discovered as an assassin.

However, my friends insisted on dragging me to the bathhouse, and thanks to my pitiful efforts, I managed to avoid exposing the Master-Servant Mark. Later, I did get caught by Yuli when I carelessly didn’t lock the door while showering in a shared room, but I somehow managed to get through it.

Of course, now that my true identity is already exposed, I have nothing to be ashamed of when going to the bathhouse or taking a shower with my friends. If we had to nitpick, I suppose my conscience might prick me a little.

“Today, I want to calmly gather my thoughts, so please understand.”

Since we have multiple rooms, there were two bathrooms as well. It would be a hassle to occupy one on my own, but I figured I could ask for my friends’ understanding.

“Fine… understood.”

Seeing Anne readily back down without pressing further was a relief, and I gathered my change of underwear and pajamas before heading to the bathroom. After shedding my clothes and splashing cold water on myself once, I felt a bit calmer. While lathering up the soap, my body caught my eye in the mirror. By now, I had become so familiar with this body that it felt like nothing other than someone else’s.

Suddenly, my gaze wandered to my chest. Slowly, I raised my hand to one side of my breast. The size of it didn’t quite fit into my now smaller hand. Compared to other girls, it seemed rather large. Meanwhile, Frecia’s chest was definitely an appropriate size to fit comfortably in one hand. Was it about this size?

Before I realized it, I found myself comparing the feel of my chest to that of Frecia’s earlier, trying to imagine her breast size.

Smack!

Realizing my embarrassing behavior, I quickly pulled my hand away from my chest and slapped my cheek hard enough to make a sound. More than the pain, I was startled by the sound, fully returning to my senses, and I splashed cold water all over myself once more. After repeating this process several times, I finally managed to finish my shower.

*

“Ugh!”

“What are you doing…? Who showers and catches cold?”

Selian took the towel she placed on my forehead and replaced it with a new, damp towel.

Was it because I kept splashing myself with cold water out of the blue? I felt off all night long, and now it seemed I had caught a cold. Ever since I started training, especially after reaching Sword Master, I had never caught a cold, and it was ridiculous to catch one just from splashing cold water a few times. Moreover, recalling the reason for that cold shower, it was embarrassing to even mention it.

Even wrapped in a thick blanket, I felt a chill, so I pulled the blanket up to my chin and turned to Mariel.

“Um… Saint. Is it really necessary? Can’t you just use healing magic?

“No way. Holy magic isn’t a cure-all. Sure, I could easily cure a cold with basic holy magic, but for a simple cold, it’s better to let nature take its course. If you rely too much on holy magic, your body adapts, leading to more frequent minor illnesses.”

Mariel looked at me with a worried expression but didn’t use any holy magic.

“Of course, I understand the Hero’s desire to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible, but it’s okay to just relax and rest for a day.”

I thought maybe I could rely on holy magic to treat each little ailment as it arose, but… well, who was I to argue with the greatest expert in holy magic?

“Here. I asked someone to bring medicine, so just sit up for a moment and take this, then lie back down.”

However, while she said holy magic wasn’t an option, she did request the butler to bring me some bitter medicine, which I found a little annoying. If that was the case, why bother giving me the medicine? I slightly lifted myself, gulped down the bitter concoction instantly, and drank a whole cup of water, but the bitterness lingered in my mouth.

I had just sat up a little, and my head started throbbing due to the sudden movement. I felt a headache, chills, a cough, and even a runny nose. I really had caught a nasty cold.

“Okay, okay. Our Hero needs stability, so I’ll be the only one here for nursing—everyone else, leave.”

“Aww. I want to take care of my senior too…”

“Well, just take turns in order; for now, get out quickly so you won’t disturb her.”

My friends were watching me with concerned eyes around my bed, what was there to brag about catching a cold? Of course, I appreciated their caring hearts, but thinking back to why I caught this cold made even their gazes make me want to hide in a hole. Especially Frecia, who was looking at me beside Gomtaengi and Tokki, it was hard to even make eye contact.

Mariel didn’t seem to have caught on, but luckily she ushered the other friends out while replacing towels for Selian, who was nursing me.

After swallowing the runny nose threatening to leak, I spoke in a monotone voice towards Selian.

“Selian, I really think you should take it easy too. Like the Saint said, it’s not a serious illness—just a cold, so there’s no need to fuss over nursing. I’ve taken my medicine, and after I sleep it off for a while, I’ll be fine.”

I may have caught this cold by accident, but that didn’t mean I was weak. No matter how nasty the cold, I could surely sleep it off and regain my strength.

“Don’t overthink it, and just take a good rest yourself. As the Saint mentioned, I’ll be switching off and taking breaks too.”

The now lukewarm towel she pulled back, and its cold sensation resting on my forehead felt soothing amidst the discomfort of my cold. Meanwhile, Selian’s hand slightly brushing against my face felt quite warm.

“Well… I’ll trust you and really try to rest easy. Sorry, but is it okay if I close my eyes a bit?”

“What are you asking for permission for? Just stop saying silly things and sleep already.”

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

“This isn’t even a favor worth counting on, so don’t worry about it.”

At Selian’s reply, I chuckled softly and closed my eyes.